Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential benefits of (a) increasing the number of driving test examiners and (b) introducing a greater number of out-of-hours tests.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.
On the 18 December last year, DVSA published measures to bring down car practical driving test waiting times across the country. This included the recruitment of driving examiners (DEs), and DVSA continues to run recruitment campaigns as part of this.
On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions including the reintroduction of overtime pay incentives, and a call for volunteers from those currently in other roles (but qualified to examine) to carry out practical driving tests.
Further information on these actions and progress on the plan can be found on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/government/news/transport-secretary-acts-to-make-thousands-of-extra-driving-tests-available-each-month.
DVSA is committed to providing its customers, including those in rural areas, with the best service possible. DVSA continually reviews its estate to ensure it represents good value for money and is efficient.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to increase the availability of driving tests in rural areas.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.
On the 18 December last year, DVSA published measures to bring down car practical driving test waiting times across the country. This included the recruitment of driving examiners (DEs), and DVSA continues to run recruitment campaigns as part of this.
On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions including the reintroduction of overtime pay incentives, and a call for volunteers from those currently in other roles (but qualified to examine) to carry out practical driving tests.
Further information on these actions and progress on the plan can be found on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/government/news/transport-secretary-acts-to-make-thousands-of-extra-driving-tests-available-each-month.
DVSA is committed to providing its customers, including those in rural areas, with the best service possible. DVSA continually reviews its estate to ensure it represents good value for money and is efficient.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps her Department has taken to help reduce waiting times for driving tests.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.
On the 18 December last year, DVSA published measures to bring down car practical driving test waiting times across the country. This included the recruitment of driving examiners (DEs), and DVSA continues to run recruitment campaigns as part of this.
On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions including the reintroduction of overtime pay incentives, and a call for volunteers from those currently in other roles (but qualified to examine) to carry out practical driving tests.
Further information on these actions and progress on the plan can be found on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/government/news/transport-secretary-acts-to-make-thousands-of-extra-driving-tests-available-each-month.
DVSA is committed to providing its customers, including those in rural areas, with the best service possible. DVSA continually reviews its estate to ensure it represents good value for money and is efficient.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing funding for new (a) services and (b) research to support people with (i) myalgic encephalomyelitis and (ii) chronic fatigue syndrome.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England is responsible for allocating funding to integrated care boards, which in turn are responsible for commissioning specialist myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) services that meet the needs of their population, subject to local prioritisation and funding.
On 22 July 2025, we published the final ME/CFS delivery plan, which is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mecfs-the-final-delivery-plan
Within the plan there is an action for the Department and NHS England to explore whether a specialised service should be prescribed for very severe ME/CFS.
The Government funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and the Medical Research Council (MRC). We have assessed the ME/CFS research portfolio funded through NIHR and MRC and acknowledge that this is an under-funded area. The level of funding awarded is directly related to the number and quality of applications received and we have historically received a small number of applications for funding in this area. Between 2019/20 and 2023/24, the NIHR committed approximately £3.7 million to research projects and programmes on ME/CFS. In the same period, the MRC committed approximately £2.9 million to research into ME/CFS.
Together with the MRC, we are actively exploring next steps for research in ME/CFS. In the final delivery plan for ME/CFS, we have outlined the research actions and additional support that we will offer to the research community to increase the volume and quality of applications. This includes a new funding opportunity for a development award focussed on evaluating repurposed pharmaceutical inventions for post-acute infection syndromes and associated conditions, including ME/CFS.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of Universal Credit childcare costs.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
No such assessment has been made.
The Universal Credit Childcare element expenditure and forecast statistics can be found in row 18 of the ‘Universal Credit and equivalent’ tab, published here: Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2025 - GOV.UK
Further information, including Universal Credit childcare element statistics and supplementary data tables, are also published and available here: Universal Credit statistics, 29 April 2013 to 10 July 2025 - GOV.UK
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of peer-to-peer energy transfers.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Peer-to-peer energy trading may, in some circumstances, support Government energy objectives, particularly those relating to community energy. The Department is working closely with Ofgem and other key stakeholders to determine how best to support local generation being matched with local demand.
The energy industry has also been working to make changes to industry rules to support the local trade of energy, including code modifications to the Balancing and Settlement Code, P442, and standardising the classification of local energy sites, P441.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of transferring excess solar energy from large corporations to (a) hospitals, (b) schools and (c) other public facilities.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Solar generators can export surplus electricity to the local network when generation exceeds onsite demand, helping to power local hospitals, schools and other public facilities. However, export decisions depend on costs and revenues, and the availability of network capacity. When the local grid is temporarily constrained, either due to high generation levels or low demand, exporting may be reduced. Ofgem and Distribution Network Operators are working to increase grid capacity and flexibility to support the integration of small-scale generators into the local electricity network, thereby supporting the Government’s decarbonisation ambitions.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps she has taken to help protect people impacted by problem gambling.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government recognises that harmful gambling can wreck the lives of individuals, families and communities. Working with the Gambling Commission, we are committed to strengthening protections for those at risk through a range of new safer gambling requirements.
The Government has introduced a statutory levy on licensed gambling operators to raise increased, independent and sustainable funding for research, prevention and treatment of gambling-related harm. The levy will raise around £100 million in funding to deliver priority projects and services, which together we hope will reduce gambling-related harms across Great Britain. The statutory gambling levy is now in force, and funding will start flowing later this year.
There are a range of robust rules in place through the Advertising Codes enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to ensure that gambling advertising and marketing, wherever it appears, is socially responsible and does not exacerbate harm. The ASA continually reviews the best available evidence to ensure rules are effective and updates protections as required. However, the Government recognises that more is needed, and we have set the gambling industry a clear task to further raise standards. In addition, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Department of Health and Social Care and the Gambling Commission are jointly leading a programme of work to develop new safety messaging for use in advertising and at the point of play.
We have introduced new statutory stake limits for online slots, set at £2 per spin for 18-24 year olds, and £5 per spin for adults aged 25 and over. We are also working with the Gambling Commission to deliver a significant programme of reform, including additional measures relating to safer game design for all casino games, financial vulnerability checks, improved access to safer gambling tools and improved customer choice on direct marketing.
We will continue to consider the best available evidence and work with all stakeholders to ensure there are robust protections in place to protect those at risk.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the Honours System in terms of (a) fairness, (b) equity and (c) and value.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Cabinet Office Honours team is working to make the honours system truly representative of UK society, in line with the Prime Minister’s priorities for the honours system. As part of this work, we have recently established a new independent Diversity and Outreach Committee which will assist the committee process in delivering an honours system which is properly diverse and reflective of UK society.
In addition to ongoing work, every five years, a report to Parliament is published on the Operation of the UK Honours System. This report sets out progress and key developments to our work to improve the integrity and fairness in, and access to, the Honours System. The most recent report was published in May 2023 and can be viewed here. The next report is due to be published in 2028.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment her Department has made of (a) trends in the level of pavement parking in rural areas and (b) the potential impact of this on (i) wheelchair users (ii) parents with pushchairs and (iii) partially sighted people.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government fully understands the problems that vehicles parked on the pavement can cause for pedestrians.
This is particularly the case in certain locations and for certain people, such as those with mobility or sight impairments, those pushing prams or pushchairs, and wheelchair users. The Department has been considering all the views expressed in response to the 2020 pavement parking consultation and is currently working through the policy options and the appropriate means of delivering them. We will announce the next steps and publish our formal response in due course.
In the meantime, local authorities can make use of existing powers to manage pavement parking, and it is up to them to decide where to restrict pavement parking and what enforcement is appropriate.